Education in the Amarillo Area

Amarillo Independent School District students are offered a quality academic program and a well-rounded extra-curricular program in the district’s 37 elementary schools, twelve middle schools, four high schools, one alternative school and a specialty high school.

Eighteen miles south of Amarillo is the city of Canyon. The Canyon Independent School District spans 711 square miles from south of the city of Canyon north into the southern city limits of Amarillo. There are 2 elementary schools, 1 intermediate school, 1 junior high and 1 high school in the city of Canyon. In the southern city limits, in or close to Amarillo are an additional 6 elementary schools, 1 intermediate
school, 1 junior high, 1 high school and 1 alternative high school.

Three additional school districts border the city of Amarillo, including Bushland, Highland Park and River Road Independent School Districts. They each include 1 elementary school, 1 middle school and 1 high school. 

There are a number of private and parochial schools available in the city.  Private schools that are members of the Chamber include Ascension Academy, Trinity Lutheran School, St Andrew's Episcopal School, and San Jacinto Christian Academy.  Amarillo Collegiate Academy (formerly Vista Academy) is a tuition free charter school in Amarillo.

Students seeking higher education flock to Amarillo College, a vibrant, multifaceted community college that typically enrolls more than 10,000 students in academic classes at six campuses and an outreach center. Using a proven blend of quality and affordability, Amarillo College provides students with a solid academic foundation in about 160 programs of study, whether they are looking to immediately enter the workforce or proceed to a university. The cost of attending Amarillo College is approximately one-third that of the cost of a public university in Texas, and it is by law that AC credits transfer to Texas’ public universities.

New construction, renovations and campus beautification projects over the past 10-15 years have transformed the West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) landscape with everything from new entrance signs and residence halls to a renovated Jack B. Kelley Student Center and a new multi-field athletic facility. WTAMU is ranked one of the Best Colleges in the West by The Princeton Review and in the first tier of U.S. News and World Report Master Level Universities and Colleges in the West. U.S. News and World Report also has recognized the University’s online programs in business, nursing and
education. Top-notch facilities, award-winning programs, student-centered learning environments and community-friendly outdoor spaces set the stage for today’s growing student population of more than 9,400 students and for years to come.  The WTAMU Amarillo Center offers select upper-level and graduate classes in downtown Amarillo.

The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center at Amarillo provides education for medical students and residents in four different specialties, including the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, and School of Health Professions, which offers occupational therapy and physical therapy programs.

Denver Seminary is a graduate-level school of theology accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and the Higher Learning Commission. Our West Texas Campus in Amarillo brings exceptional seminary education to individuals in the Panhandle region.

​Amarillo is also home to a branch of Wayland Baptist University which offers a variety of courses.

A number of vocation and trade schools in Amarillo offer certifications in medical, computer and cosmetology fields and more.